Will Hope Askew have her shot at radio with “Release Me”? [REVIEW]

Written By: Shaamora Harden

It’s officially summer and you know what that means…new music! While I mostly associate this time of year with fast music that makes you want to dance, recently I came across a ballad by aspiring songstress, Hope Askew.

Though Hope is not yet a household name, she’s been grinding out on the independent circuit for quite some time. Her first foray into music was on the secular side of things but upon giving her life to Christ in 2009, Hope has dedicated her gifts and talents to sharing the Gospel.

Her new song “Release Me”, is a sweeping ballad with lots of emotion. In it, Hope sings from the perspective of a person who has reached a point in life where the only solution is to surrender to God’s will. You know that point where you’ve tried to do everything you could think of to solve your own problems and have finally reached a dead end. Hope includes lyrics that really paint the picture of this story quite well: “I’ve tried the pleasures of this world, but the hurt still remains…Lord I need you to

“Release Me” reminds me of a Cece-Winans-type of a ballad: big music with moving lyrics that really speaks to the heart of issues that many people, especially women, can relate to. This is actually one of the shining points or the strengths of “Release Me”. It’s the story that Hope tells through her lyrics, that really makes you stop and pay attention to what she’s saying. Truthfully, I could hear this song on the soundtrack of a movie with a strong female lead or some film on Lifetime.

Though “Release Me” is a solid effort from Hope, there’s one thing that, I feel, would’ve made this song even better: some kind of big vocal ‘wow moment’. Although Hope’s vocals are nice, if she would’ve belted out some awesome note or sang with just a little more oomph at 3:36 (of full song), it would’ve really made “Release Me” POP.

[Hope Askew]

An example of a song where this suggestion is awesomely executed is “Take Me to the King” by Tamela Mann. Though she stays in a comfortable vocal pocket throughout a good portion of “Take Me to the King”, Tamela does an awesome job of connecting the listener to her emotions as she sings. Clearly we were all really feeling this song as it enjoyed a #1 Radio spot for quite some time. (Plus, did you see her perform it on the BET Awards? Amazing but back to my point.) Tamela starts building at the Bridge (“No rules no religion…”) and really drives the emotion of the track when she sings “Lord we’re in the way, We keep making mistakes…”. Well before the track is over, you’re totally hooked.

As I said in the beginning, Hope Askew is a hardworking artist who is on fire. Based on her previous releases and the quality of “Release Me”, we’ll be hearing more from her very soon.

Take a listen below to Hope’s promotional video that includes the “Release Me” track.

If you were a programming director at a radio station, would you add this song to your playlist? Why or why not?